Apparatus for using indestructible checks.



H. H. GOVE & A. MERLIN.

APPARATUS FOR USING INDESTHUCTIBLE CHECKS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 5,1913 V Patented Sept. 5,1916.

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APPARATUS FOR usms 'INDESTRUCTIBLE CHECKS.

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APPLICATION HLED JULY 5,1913.

Patented Sept. 5, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3 W/ TNESSES.

HENRY H. GOVE AND ALBERT MERLIN, OF BIDDEFORD, MAINE, ASSIGNORS, BYDIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, OF ONE-FIFTH TO JOHN W. MAHONEY ANDTWO-FIFTHS TO NILBUR S. CLEAVES, BOTH OF BIDDEFORD, MAINE.

APPARATUS FOR USING INDESTRUCTIBLE CHECKS.

Application filed July 5, 1913.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, HENRY H. Govn and ALBERTMERLIN, citizens of the United States, residing at Biddeford, in thecounty of York and State of Maine, have invented certain Improvements inApparatus for Using Indestructible Checks, of which the followingdescription, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is aspecification, like reference characters on the drawings indicating likeparts in the several figures.

This invention relates to an apparatus for making use of indestructiblechecks and is herein illustrated in connection with the selling andtaking of tickets, checks or tokens at the entrance of a theater.

Hitherto it has been customary to make use of printed tickets which arecommonly supplied in the form of a roll and torn oft as sold, suchtickets being used but once and being destroyed after each performance.This procedure entails a very considerable expense, affords opportunityfor the reselling of used tickets, and does not furnish a readilyaccessible record of the tickets sold and of those taken.

The present invention provides an apparatus in which the tickets are inthe form of checks made of metal or other practically indestructiblematerial, and the number of checks sold as well as those taken can belearned at any time by mere inspection of the apparatus. Moreover thecheck vender has no access to the checks to be sold except through anejecting mechanism Whereby a selected number of checks are delivered toa purchaser; and the sold checks, after having been deposited by apurchaser upon a receiving casing, are automatically stacked up inreadiness to be sold again, so that there is no necessity for handlingthe checks at all after the apparatus has once been supplied. These andother features of the invention including certain details ofconstruction and combinations of parts will be described in connectionwith an illustrative apparatus and pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings, the apparatus as a whole isillustrated in Figures 1 and 2. Fig. 1 is a perspective of a checkvenders booth showing Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 5, 1916.

Serial No. 777,580.

the check vending mechanism in place, the cover for the magazines havingbeen removed to promote clearness. Fig. 2 is a perspective of the checktakers receiving casing. Fig. 3 is a perspective of the check ejectingmechanism. Fig. a is a section of the check vending mechanism showingthe relation of the ejecting mechanism to one of the magazines whichhold the unsold checks. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective showing themounting of one of the magazines. Fig. 6 is a perspective showing moreparticularly the cover for the magazines. Fig. 7 is a perspective of oneof the checks. Fig. 8 is a section through the ejecting mechanism andthe supports for the magazines.

Referring first more particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, the generaloperation of the apparatus will first be described. The checks to besold are held in the tubes or magazines 1 in the check venders booth,being rotatable as a whole upon a stationary base 3 so as to bring anydesired magazine into register with an ejecting mechanism, the keys ofwhich are indicated at 5, by which a selected number of checks may beejected through a chute 7 into position to be picked up by a purchaser.In use a cover, presently to be described, is locked down over themagazines so that the only access which the vender has to the checks isthrough the ejecting mechanism. It should be particularly noted that thechute 7 delivers the checks into a position inaccessible to the checkvendor. The checks thus delivered to a purchaser are surrendered to acheck taker but not in the usual manner. Instead the purchaser drops thechecks upon the cover 11 of a receiving casing 12. This cover isnormally held in a horizontal position but may be swung to permit thechecks to slide down an inclined plate into magazines which are held inthe lower part of the receiving casing as shown in Fig. 2. All of themagazines used in the apparatus are identical in shape and size so thatwhen those in the check venders booth have been emptied and those in thecasing 12 filled an exchange may be made, it being understood that thecombined capacity of the magazines is sufiicient to contain twice thenumber of checks used. The magazines shown are made of glass and prolsofso

vided with graduations so that an inspection of them at any time willindicate the number of checks which have been sold and taken. Access tothe magazines in the casing 12 may be had by unlocking and opening adoor 13; and similarly access to the magazines in the check vendersbooth may be had by unlocking and removing a cover 9 (see Fig. 6). Thekeys to the cover and to the door may be kept in the possession of theowner or some official of the theater by whom the exchange of magazinesmay be made. Thus the checks are at no time handled either by the checkvendor or by the check taker; and an instantly available record ofchecks sold and checks received is afforded.

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 3, 4 and 8, the ejectingmechanism will be described. A casing 15, which may be made of severalplates fastened together by any suitable means, is located beneath thebase 3 and is preferably fastened thereto. This casing is provided onits interior side walls with shelves or ledges 16 upon which rest thefeed slides or carriers 17 having holes which are normally in registerin the position shown; but the carriers may be moved forward eithertogether or separately so as to bring the holes or sockets into registerwith a hole 19 in the lower wall of the easing 15. If now a pile ofsuperposed checks extends through the holes in the carriers 17 and restsat its bottom upon the lower wall of the casing 15, it will. be clearthat forward movement of any given carrier will cause a number of thechecks to be carried forward and dropped through the hole 19. Theinclined chute 7 (see Fig. 1) has its upper end located beneath thishole 19, so that the checks which fall through said hole are deliveredinto a position inaccessible to the vendor.

In order to permit selection and control of the number of checksdelivered, the feed slides or carriers 17 are made of differentthicknesses. In the illustrative apparatus the thickness of the uppercarrier plus that of the ledge 16 upon which it rests is equalapproximately to the thickness of five checks, and the thickness of thenext lower carrier plug that of its supportingledge is equalapproximately to the thickness of four checks, so that movement of thesetwo car riers together will eject nine checks, while movement of one ofthem will eject either five or four checks according to which carrier ismoved. The next two lower carriers are similarly adapted to eject threeand two checks respectively, while the lowest carrier is adapted toeject one check. The holes in the carriers are made slightly flaring orconical whereby the checks drop more readily from one into another.

Backward movement of the carriers is limited by the shoulder 20 of thecasing 15 against which they are normally held by springs 25, the holesin the carriers being then in register with each other and with certainother holes and passages presently to be described. Forward movement ofthe carrier is produced by pressing upon the keys 5 which are pivotallyconnected with the carriers by small rods 21. The keys themselves arepivoted at 24 to a stationary bracket 26 and are normally held inretracted position by the springs 25. Forward movement of the carriersis limited by a stop herein shown as an upturned end of the lower wallof the casing 15.

The stationary base 3 is provided with a hole or passage 27 whichregisters at all times with the similar hole or passage in the upperwall of the casing 15; and rotatably mounted upon this base 3 is asupport 29 for the magazines 1, a raceway and balls (one of which isshown at 31) being provided to facilitate this rotation. The support 29is provided with as many holes or passages 33 as there are magazines tobe supported; and over each hole or passage a magazine 1 is mounted.Each magazine has an enlarged base portion which is secured by a collar35 and set-screws 37 to a plate 39 to which the collar and the lugswhich carry the set-screws are fast. This plate 39 has a hole whichregisters with the bore of the magazine 1, is held in place by resilientmembers 49 fast to the support 29, and has depending inturned sideflanges which serve as guides for a slide 43 the purpose of which is toopen and close the bottom of the magazine. In Fig. 4 the slide 43 isshown in full lines in closed position (the hole 45 in said slide beingthen out of register with the bore of the magazine), and in dotted linesin open position. The plate 39 is properly located by means of stops 149on the spring members 49; and the angular position of the support 29with respect to the base 3 is determined by guides 47 between which theslide 43 is adapted to be pulled out as shown in Fig. 5. With thisconstruction, each magazine with its plate 39 and slide 43 forms aunitary structure which may be removed when it is desired to replace theempty magazine by filled ones; and in the bottom of the receptacle 12are located guides 50 which are adapted to hold the plates 39 (and hencethe magazines 1) while said magazines are in position to be filled.

In order to steady the magazines 1 when they are in place upon thesupport 29, a rod 51 (see Figs. 1 and 6) is mounted in the center of thesupport 29 and carries at its upper end spring clips 52 which embracethe upper ends of the magazines. The support is rotatable about the axisof said rod 51.

Referring now to Fig. 6 a cover 9, which may be in the form of a hollowcylinder open fee at one end, is adapted to be locked to the base 3 bymeans of a key inserted in the key holes 52. This cover has an opening68 of sufficient size to permit the check vender to reach in and turnthe support 29 after one magazine has been emptied so as to bring afilled magazine into place.

Supposing the apparatus is to be used in connection with a place ofamusement such as a moving picture theater, the proprietor, manager orother official first fills the proper number of magazines, places themin positionin the ve-nders booth, puts on the'cover 9 and looks it inplace. He then puts the remaining empty magazines in place in thereceiver 12 and locks the door 18. The vender then proceeds to take inentrance fees and to deliver the proper number of checks through thechute 7 by means of the ejecting mechanism. When one magazine has beenemptied she pushes in the slide 13 thereby closing the bottom of theempty magazine and rotates thesupport 29 to bring a second filledmagazine into proper position, after which she pulls out the slide as ofsaid second magazine thereby permitting the stack of checks to settleinto the carriers of the ejecting mechanism. She thus has no means ofreaching the checks, although she can deliver as many of them as shepleases to a purchaser. Each purchaser picks up the checks which he hasbought and drops them upon the plate 11 of the receiving casing, saidplate being normally held up against a stop 59 by a spring 57, whereuponthe check taker counts them at a glance and then swings the plate 11into the position shown in Fig. 2. The checks fall upon the inclinedplate 61 and slide into one or another of the magazines 1. At the end ofthe performance in the theater, the owner or other official firstunlocks the door 13 and determines the number of checks which have beenreceived, and then unlocks the cover 9 and learns whether the numberreceived corresponds to the number sold. He then replaces the emptymagazines in the venders booth by filled magazines taken from the receiving casing, and the apparatus is ready to be used again.

Although the invention has been set forth in connection with aparticular apparatus adapted for a particular use, it should beunderstood that the invention is not limited either to the particularuse or to the particular apparatus.

Having thus described the invention, what we claim and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. An apparatus of the kind described, having a plurality ofinterchangeable magazines to dispense indestructible checks and adaptedto collect said checks when so dispensed, a check dispensing rotatablesupport into which each filled magazine is arranged to fit, a base forsaid support, there being a check receiving passage in said base and asimilar passage in the rotatable support directly under each magazine, aslide for opening and closing said magazine, and ejecting mechanismlocated to receive checks from the magazine through the passage in thebase, said magazine when emptied being adapted to be removed from thesupport and utilized as a check collecting receptacle.

2. An apparatus of the kind described, having a plurality ofinterchangeable magazines to dispense indestructible checks and adaptedto collect said checks when so dispensed, a dispensing rotatable supportcapable of receiving a plurality of filled interchangeable magazinesinto which support all i of said magazines are adapted, when filled, tofit, said support having a passage therethrough cooperating with eachfilled magazine to dispense therefrom a selective number of said checks,means on said dispensing apparatus to cooperate with the magazines toaline the same thereon, each magazine, when emptied, being adapted to beremoved from the support and utilized as a check collecting receptacle,which collecting renders said magazine again adaptable to fit into saiddispensing support.

3. In an apparatus of the class described, a base having a passage forchecks, a support rotatably mounted thereon and having a plurality ofsimilar passages, a magazine located above each passage in the rotatablesupport, a slide for opening and closing the magazine, aguide on saidbase arranged to cooperate with said slide in properly locating the openmagazine, and an ejecting mechanism located to receive checks throughthe passage in the base.

l. In an apparatus of the class described, a check ejecting mechanismfor ejecting from a pile of superposed checks a selected numbercomprising a plurality of carriers of different thickness, arranged insuperposed relation, each carrier being movable with re spect to theother to eject a number of checks dependent upon the thickness of saidcarrier, and means for operating any selected carrier.

5. In an apparatus of the class described a check ejecting mechanism forejecting from a pile of superposed checks a selected number comprising aplurality of rings of different thickness, arranged in superposedrelation, each ring being movable with respect to the others to eject anumber of checks dependent upon its thickness, and means for operatingany selected ring. 6. In an apparatus of the class described an ejectingmechanism for ejecting the desired number of checks from the lower partof a pile comprising a plurality of superposed carriers of differentthickness, the openings through which are tapering, and

means for operating any selected carrier or combination of carriers toeject a predetermined number of checks.

7. In an apparatus of the class described a base having a passagetherein, a rotatable support mounted thereon and having a plurality ofpassages arranged to be brought successively into register with thepassage in the base, a pair of guides on each side of each passage inthe support, a plate adapted to fit between said guides, said platehaving a passage to register with the passage in the support and beingprovided With a guideway a slide located in said guideway and having apassage therein adapted, when said slide is moved from one extremeposition to the other to be brought into and out of register with thepassage in said plate, and a magazine mounted on said plate.

8. In an apparatus of the class described, a base having a passage forchecks, a sup port rotatably mounted thereon and having a plurality ofpassages adapted to be brought selectively into register with thepassage in the base, a magazine located above each pas-' sage in therotatable support, a cover for the open upper ends of said magazines,means for locking said cover in place, and an ejecting mechanism locatedto receive checks through the passage in said base, said mechanismcomprising a plurality of carriers and means for selectively operatingany carrier or combination of carriers.

9. A check ejecting mechanism comprising a plurality of carriers,located one above another and having operating faces Which register,whereby a column of superposed checks may stand in position to havechecks ejected from the bottom and from intermediate portions of saidcolumn, guides upon which said carriers are slidable, and means foroperating said carriers, said carriers being of different thickness, andeach carrier being of a thickness less than that of the number of checkswhich it is designed to eject, whereby checks which vary slightly inthickness may be readily ejected.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY H. GOVE. ALBERT MERLIN.

Witnesses to the signature of Henry H.

Gove:

F. P. HARRIS, LEROY HALEY. 1

Witnesses to the signature of Albert 'Merlin:

THOMAS H. RUs'roN, EDWARD F. RYAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

